The US special envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, and the EU’s special representative for the Belgrade-Priština dialogue, Miroslav Lajčak, will meet in Belgrade with Serbian officials amidst heightened tensions in the north of Kosovo.
The situation in Kosovo escalated again after Serbs in the north set up barricades to protest the arrest of former police officer Dejan Pantić, whom the Kosovo authorities accuse of attacking the police and members of the local election commission.
As announced, Lajčak will meet with President Aleksandar Vučić, and then Escobar will join them at the trilateral meeting.
No press releases are planned after these meetings.
During the afternoon, the American diplomat should also meet with Prime Minister Ana Brnabić and Fore Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dačić.
Gabriel Escobar spent the last few days in Kosovo, where he met with the Kosovo president and prime minister.
After the meeting with Prime Minister Albin Kurti, the American diplomat reiterated that he expected Priština to start forming the Community of Serbian Municipalities, which was agreed upon in the Brussels Agreement and which the official Belgrade insists on.
He also said that he was against the Serbian security forces returning to Kosovo, which was mentioned as a possibility by the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, who had said that he would ask the KFOR mission for their approval to send the Serbian security forces to Kosovo on Thursday, but that he expected a negative answer from them.
Escobar added that Kosovo had “very firm security guarantees from the USA”.
(Voice of America, 14.12.2022)
https://www.glasamerike.net/a/kosovo-lajcak-eskobar/6875693.html
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